


Thanks to you

by CassiopeiaVarAttre



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Gift Giving, Mentioned Wilhuff Tarkin, Planet Coruscant (Star Wars), Pre-Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion, Pre-Star Wars: Rebels, Romance, Secret Relationship, thryce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:07:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27720484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassiopeiaVarAttre/pseuds/CassiopeiaVarAttre
Summary: Just Thrawn being romantic af.
Relationships: Arihnda Pryce/Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 11





	Thanks to you

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm new here! I wanted to thank my beta reader - @evilmouse <3 Without her, this fic wouldn't exist.

She didn't expect that the governorship would be THAT hard. And she's not even officially the Governor yet! Few weeks have passed since her talk with Tarkin, and her position won't be announced for another few months. 

Arihnda exhaled the air from her lungs loudly as she looked at her datapad. Her "eagerly preparing to take on her new post" was nothing more than learning all the protocols and procedures. She decided it was a good time for a break, leaning back in her comfy chair. She looked around. Her office was even better than Renking’s! It was spacious enough not only for her workspace, but also for three sofas and a big coffee table, where she could sit with her guests during more unofficial chats. And the view! A wall of windows showed her Federal District at its finest. Not everyone could see the sun in this city. 

She's at the top. She did it. She really made it to the top. After years of being a pawn in someone’s game, Arihnda Pryce was now the player. Ari smiled proudly to herself, but her temporary happiness was disturbed by the buzz of her official comm. 

"Yes?" 

"Governor, there's an officer of the Imperial Navy that wishes to speak to you. I already told him you are not taking appoin..." 

"If he's Commodore Thrawn, let him come in." She could tell by the pause in her secretary's response that it confused her. 

Well, Arihnda had literally said that she didn't want ANY visitors just two hours ago. And first of all, she herself wasn't sure if it was Thrawn. She thought that he would be occupied with his new ship for at least a week. His transfer was only yesterday. 

She just realized that if it wasn't really Thrawn, she just made it clear that he's getting special treatment. Well, if it was him, it would mean the same, but at least she wouldn't look... so obvious? If it was him, it could look like they had privately contacted one another... 

Doors hissed, and she turned all her attention towards the sound. She was lucky; it was him. Smiling, she stood up to greet him. He was stoic, as always. Hands behind his back, exposing his torso with new insignia of Commodore. 

Not only had she done something for herself, but also for him. She doesn’t know which one made her more proud. Thrawn noticed her stare and smiled slightly, coming closer to her. 

"Governor Pryce. Thank you." One of his hands moved to the front and Arihnda was surprised to see a rose in his hand. And it wasn't just a rose. It was Rose of Remembrance, truly rare, and highly expensive. 

The rose itself was blank, but petals illuminated the colors of the scenery they were in. It was not the only special thing about the flower. Roses of Remembrance were long-lasting. After cutting the stalk, the flower itself could live years without water, or even sun. That feature created legends among Hapes Cluster, where the rose came from, that if you give it to someone you love, the Rose will last forever. 

Of course, Arihnda wasn't stupid enough to believe in such tales. But the spontaneous gesture itself was magical enough. The Rose in Thrawn's hand was illuminated blue and orange. She could guess the blue came from his hand, of course, the orange from the sunset above Federal District. 

She finally looked him in the eyes. His stare didn't show much. 

"But... why? You already thanked me." 

He frowned. "This “thank you” is personal," he said, without showing any emotions. "A remarkable flower, for my remarkable woman." 

She bit her lower lip. She would never understand how this cold-hearted man on the outside was so warm and romantic inside. Thrawn always surprised her. How did he even know about this specific flower? Maybe doing his art research, he ended up reading about Hapan culture? Or perhaps he asked Eli for advice? His token 'interpreter' and longtime aide would likely be the only person Thrawn trusted to know about their… meetings. All because the Commodore asked him too many questions about human women. Did he know about the legends? Did it have a hidden meaning? A message for her? He said it was personal, so most likely he referred to them as a couple, not as business partners. 

"You know, that with this flower, I will be able to tell if you still love me or not," she teased him. He certainly was taken aback. 

"I'm familiar with Hapes' legends, although it's scientifically proven that legends are just legends, and this flower is not powered by love," Thrawn stated, as she crossed her arms on her chest. It was intentional, to make him think that she was angry that he crushed her fake belief in the myths. "If it's important to you, I will be giving you a new Rose of Remembrance each time the old one dies."

She didn't expect that for sure. Now Ari was the one taken aback. 

"I..." She looked at the flower, than again into his eyes. Moving her hands from her chest, Ari cupped Thrawn's hand, the one holding the Rose. "You don't have to. I was just teasing you." She offered him an apologetic smile, and he nodded in understanding. Looking at the flower between them, she took her fingers away to carefully stroke its petals. With every new touch, a different color appeared, illuminating her skin. "It's really a lovely gift. Thank you." 

Arihnda took the flower from his hands and walked toward her desk to put it safely there, then turned to him again, running in his direction just to jump on him. Thrawn, of course, knew what was coming and he caught her with no issue. She hooked her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck, giving him a really strong squeeze. 

"You seem happy," he said. Ari moved her hands to cup his face and looked him in the eyes, smiling. When Thrawn held her like this, their eyes were almost on the same level. This time, to her advantage, she was slightly higher. She guessed it might even be close enough to show him the sparks in her icy blue eyes. She leaned closer to give him a tender kiss. He didn't hesitate. She broke it first, smiling widely against his lips. 

"I am happy!" She looked him in the eyes again. “Look what we accomplished!” She threw her hands in the air in an abstract gesture. "We are in my governor’s office! And by the way, you were supposed to be on your Chimaera! My Commodore." He finally gave her a smile. She was right. There were plenty of reasons to be happy. 

Nonetheless, Ari was sure something would seem odd to Thrawn about her behavior; he was too observant and likely to guess there was something hidden behind her happy face. Thrawn moved with her to the closest sofa and sat on it, still holding her. Now she was sitting on his lap, stroking the back of his head. He looked her in the eyes. She frowned. 

"What?" Ari asked, discomfited by his analyzing stare. 

"Are you on spice?" 

"Excuse me?!" She crossed her arms, truly offended by that question. 

"You are not acting like yourself, from the second I came in here. This display of happiness is unusual to you, and you are not used to showing so much affection toward me in public places…"

"We are IN MY OFFICE!" 

"An office that may have some hidden cameras, voice recorders, or someone may be just spying through the window behind you, from the nearest building." Arhinda left his personal space and moved to the windowed wall he mentioned. Showing her back to him. 

"You know what, you are literally the only one person I know that can put me into a good mood and destroy it in a span of a few seconds," she said, not facing him. "I'm not that stupid you know? Only the last option may be right, but at this point, there's no one who would be spying on me." 

"Tarkin." 

"Oh, now you are just paranoid." She sighed. He didn't answer her right away. The sound of him standing up forced her to finally turn around. She was scared that she’d offended him to the point that he was leaving, and that wasn't on her to-do list today. Or any day for that matter. To her surprise, he started walking forward. He stopped when he was close enough that she had to look up to make eye contact with him. 

"You seem distracted. I know a lot changed in your life in a short time. Although, you don't see some of the red flags. I met Tarkin yesterday, and he was talking about you--in a way that showed he was really impressed by you. But he also mentioned that my promotion is a bonus. It wasn't to make me happy, Arihnda." She moved her eyes away from him, knowing where this conversation is going. 

The worst part was that Thrawn may be right. Tarkin wasn't doing this to help Thrawn in any way. It was just the theater of power. And judging by how eager he was to fulfill her request, it meant that he was showing that power to her. Tarkin was the one to decide whom would be promoted, and who will disappear for good. 

She probably had made a huge mistake mentioning Thrawn a little too often during their conversation. Exposing her interest in the Chiss could cost her a lot in the future. Showing who was ruling here sent a hidden message. Thrawn shouldn't merit her attention, because he meant nothing in politics. It was Tarkin she should please if she wanted to achieve something. 

She almost jumped away when she felt a smooth touch on her cheek. Looking at him now, she thought she’d never figure him out. One second he mentioned that her showing affection was bad, and the next he was doing exactly the same thing. 

"You are not used to showing so much affection toward me in public places, Thrawn." She quoted his own words back at him, showing her tongue. He frowned. 

"What was that gesture?" She only rolled her eyes. 

"Nevermind." 

"That's already a second question you didn't answer. I assume you are hiding something from me." 

"No. I am not."

"Yes, you are."

"No."

"Yes."

"Oh, why do you always have to be so stubborn!"

"Likewise." A winner’s smile appeared on his face when Arihnda sent him a deadly stare. She finally released her hands and took his from her cheek, still holding it and analyzing how different they were. 

"I-... I don't want you to betray me like Juahir and Driller did," she said, with melancholy in her voice. 

"I doubt that I will join the Rebels." She finally looked up to him, showing her sad smile. 

"I mean, using me for benefits I can provide." 

"Oh."

"Oh, exactly." She released his hand from her grip and again walked away from him. They actually never talked about themselves as a couple. Their relationship was so spontaneous that she doesn't know if she could call herself his girlfriend. And for sure they never talked about what would happen if they achieved their goals. Technically relationships between Civil Services and the Navy weren't forbidden. But for some reason, it would look bad. Like they were fucking one another for social benefits.

Wasn’t that actually the case? She couldn't really tell if any of his emotions were involved in this at all. Thrawn probably at some point was her emotional support, though. The last few months they spent together, he seemed to care. Especially after they discovered that the friends that she had trusted were in fact Rebels. 

But she had no idea how they actually became intimate with each other. It just happened, and she liked it. But the reality was different now. They would barely be able to meet, with her being partly on Lothal and him having an ISD ship. 

"I won't," he said, bringing her back from her thoughts. She smiled, but it wasn't genuine. 

"You see, I don't know if I believe you." 

"Then I will repeat it until you do." 

"A lie that is repeated often enough becomes the truth. Well, now there is no way that I will believe you," she stated with confidence. 

"If I could do anything in the world, for example, let's say being right now on my planet, but instead I wanted to come here and surprise you, to make you happy, because I prefer to be here with you and not there, that doesn't make me more believable?" She looked at him, heart racing at his confession. Was it some kind of manipulation? 

Thrawn never lied to her, though. And it was one of the reasons why other officers didn’t like him at all. People don't like the truth, not when it's uncomfortable for them. But this kind of truth, that he was offering her right now… it was a nice kind of truth. 

"Well…" She wanted to doubt that, but didn't even know how to respond. "Okay, you won this one." 

**Author's Note:**

> That's it! Let me know what you think about it!


End file.
